There are a bunch of threads on Teslas, but none of them really get down to one of this board's favorite activities...

Time to start waffling about getting a Model S, so I stopped by the Tesla showroom today. I want one.

The attendants* said that the current deposit to delivery timing is currently 2-4 months depending on config. *Can't say sales people since Tesla isn't licensed as a dealership in AZ... Downside is that they also can't give test drives, so I'm going to have to figure out how to test one.

Some observations from sitting in the floor model:

Its a big car -- very similar in length, hight and wheelbase to a Panamera (all within 1-2 inches), although the Tesla is about 6 inches narrower. I'm using a Panamera for comparison since I had one for an overnight loaner in Jan, so i can visualize a car that size -- and it will just fit in our (rather small) garage...

The touchscreen is HUGE. 17" diagonal. Very nicely done -- immediate response and the graphics are nice. Nearly all controls are via the screen -- Audio, Nav, HVAC, lights, sunroof, door locks, frunk and hatch openers, etc. Probably will take some getting used to, although I don't think it will be a huge issue since the HVAC controls are in a fixed location and there are steering wheel audio controls.

Sitting in the car feels very open. Feels almost minimalistic -- about the only physical switches not driving-related are the window switches on the door, an a glove box switch. There is no central tunnel, and the floor is flat. My 6 year old daughter was with me and she got in the driver's door, then moved over to the passenger seat.

I didn't even notice until writing this that there is no CD slot -- the optical era is definitely over. The Model S instead has internet streaming audio instead (although I can't find any information on the cost of internet service...). There are 2 USB ports by the power outlet, and it does Bluetooth A2DP, along with AM, FM, XM and onboard MP3 storage...

Interior materials have a high-quality feel. Nice steering wheel (felt similar to the BMW M wheel circa the E46 era -- thick, almost puffy, soft leather). The rear view mirror is unique in that the mirror goes right to the edge -- there is no plastic bezel like you see in most mirrors today. I'm pretty certain that the stalks (turn signal and cruise control) and gear selector are provided by Daimler and from the Mercedes parts bin...

The frunk is larger than the Boxster's, although not as deep.

The door latches are electric. The motorized/retractible handle has a capacitative sensor to open the door -- so you pull and the handle doesn't move, but you hear an electric motor release the door, then the door opens. Probably overkill, and likely something that will break. No wonder they are already having problems.

It's a very cool car, and I'm really glad someone is building it, and perhaps more importantly, that someone is building the infrastructure necessary to support it, but oh boy does it sound like it has a number of issues.

In my first month with the Model S, my wife Jennie and our two kids have done what most car-owning NYC residents typically do: taken trips to New Jersey and Connecticut, parked in two feet of snow and slush and in various garages, driven it up and down between midtown, Chelsea Piers, and downtown on the streets and the west side highway, and, of course, got a ticket with the model box saying the predictable "Other"

Even as a wonder, why get get version 1.0? See comments on user interface.

That's my only reservation. However, the Model S could be considered version 2.0 -- considering that the battery/charging/drive system in the Roadster was 1.0.

As for the UI, it is a v1 product, although Tesla has it versioned starting a 4.0 (and current cars now have 4.2, with 4.3 apparently imminent*). Not all of that guys comments seem to matter quite that much -- more like nice to have vs basic requirements.

* 4.3 includes the ability to schedule the charging start time -- and its geofenced. So basically you plug the car in when you get home, but the car waits to start charging until the specified time. Allows you to take advantage of time-based rate plans, which we already have at our house (we pay 5.77¢ per kWh off-peak vs 17.89¢ on peak in the summer; with winter rates of 5.56¢ off peak and 14.53¢ on peak -- peak is 9am to 9pm)

Yeah--I'd like one, but am I ready to own (and spend 90K on) a car that might leave me stranded and for which I am (charitably) a cooperative development partner? It sounds interesting, but I suspect I would be cursing it/smashing it with a sledgehammer the first time I needed to be at the airport and the car wouldn't unhook from the charger.

Also, how are Teslas in the heat? Have they had range issues like the Leaf?